capriccio

Since all your fellow passengers who parked at pier 18 are in the same boat so to speak, possibly your cruise line will run a shuttle. Princess has done that before. Just ask at Guest Services a few days before disembarkation.

Luggage drop off is right outside Terminal 2 and the entrance to the terminal is right there with a few benches passengers can wait on for the driver to return. The Heron parking garage entrance is only a few yards away (follow the signs). Use the parking garage elevators back to ground level or, if parked on the higher decks, you can use the crossover to the terminal on deck 5 and then take the elevator down (opens to the outside of the building) and go around the corner to meet your party. Once inside all the check-in processing is on the ground floor but ship embarkation requires taking an elevator or escalator up to the second floor. From there to the ship (which would be on the far right side in the picture below) is the usual covered gangway. The luggage drop off is on the left under the garage structure and the drive to the garage is through that area. The area in the middle is where the entrance lines form and has some benches. One of the elevators from/to the deck 5 is on the far right. Hope this helps.

We are frequent Princess cruisers and our TA always gives a 7 to 12% fare reduction and if she has a block of cabins on the cruise she throws in a modest OBC (between $60 - $80). On two other lines she didn't reduce the fare but did provide a healthy rebate following the cruise and some OBC. If considering using a TA to book a Princess cruise, realize that they are not allowed to advertise their lower fares. Instead you must inquire (phone, online, in person) for a rate quote.

Turn off cellular. Here's AT&T's instructions in case you haven't found them yet. https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1063258 (intro) https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1359697/ (setup) Try it from home before the cruise to make sure it works.

i agree that @Ashlandis a very reliable source on this board and that websites can be unreliable but if you are concerned it is best to double check because policies can change without any notice.

No but I always call a hotel (any hotel) about things that aren't clear on their websites like shuttles, early check-in, late check-out, etc.

Calling the hotel directly and confirming is always a good idea. They will also be able to provide you with the current pricing and scheduling.

This time last year we were on the Coral Princess for 28 days and their steak was very good and often avialable in the MDR and excellent (the best we've ever had on Princess and rivaled expensive US steakhouses) in the Bayou Cafe and Steakhouse. Maybe because the meat is from Australia (just a guess)?

In addition to the visitlauderdale.com website mentioned above, the Port Everglades Cruise Guide (https://www.calameo.com/read/004673538e0c61586eefa) found on the Port Everglades website (www.porteverglades.net with lots of port specific info) has advertisements (mostly at the end of the guide) for hotels that have sleep and park packages:

I have another Signature Restaurant question. Are all suite passengers still entitled to a specialty restaurant dinner on embarkation night as on other ships in the fleet? If so do you have any idea of how empty the Signature Restaurant is that evening? I presume it is still open. did you experience or hear fellow passengers complain about difficulties getting a reservation in one of the specialty restaurants? Thanks!

Last year we used WiFi calling on board to text with 4 different couples with various providers without any issues. When off the ship we’d go somewhere with WiFi and send them a text.

And that practice is not limited to cruise lines. Hotels do the same thing.

But the OP already has an AT&T account so will not incur any additional costs using WiFi calling and won’t be limited to specific days and times while in port.

AT&T is our carrier. Just make sure you are on WiFi calling (not cellular or cellular roaming). We were on a 28 day cruise around Australia a year ago and it worked great for texting and face timing. Our daughter had to have emergency surgery while we were half a world - and 12 time zones - away and it was very reassuring to be able to talk to her while she was in the hospital for a few days.